Jill Kolongowski came to Polyphony as a teacher for their Creative Writing Workshops, and is thrilled to keep working with such stellar young writers. Jill is a nonfiction writer and English professor in Northern California. She wrote her first book (The Cat’s Birthday) when she was five years old. It received a single rave review from her mother, and she has been writing ever since. She published her essay collection Life Lessons Harry Potter Taught Me in 2017, and other essays can be found in Brevity, the Los Angeles Review of Books, River Teeth, The Coachella Review, and elsewhere. She received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from St. Mary's College of California. She particularly loves experimental forms of writing, including flash nonfiction.

When she's not reading or writing, Jill can be found rewatching Schitt’s Creek, cooking, or hiking. She's currently working on her second book, a collection of essays about disaster and anxiety.